What is your carb profile?

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earlnabby
earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
I'm curious. How many carbs do you eat and how do you eat them over the course of the day. I know we all are working with different recommendations from our diabetes management team and that what is right for me will not be right for others (and vice versa), but I am really curious how others spread their carbs out.

Mine:
I eat approximately 180 g a day which is 40% of my total. The other 2 macros are 30% each

Typical meals:

Breakfast: 30
Lunch: 50
Afternoon snack: 30
Dinner: 50
Evening snack: 20

With this, I rarely get a number higher than 150 after meals and my before meal numbers have been averaging around 80 before lunch and 105 before dinner. (My morning fasting has been more in the 120 range because of dawn syndrome)
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Replies

  • DenDweller
    DenDweller Posts: 1,438 Member
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    My numbers are similar. I was told to aim for:

    Breakfast: 45-60 g
    Lunch: 60 g
    Dinner: 45-60 g

    Snacks: 15 g

    Daily Total: 180-210 g

    I tend to have three snacks per day. I also tend to go under on my meal intake and over (10-50%) on my snack intake. On days I've fully reported, I tend to be at or below the minimum total (180 g). Again, on days I've fully reported, I've never been over the 210 g upper limit.

    I could have an overage or two by not reporting. But, many of my unfinished reporting days occur because I've "eyeballed" my remaining meals and snacks, they look good, and then I forget about it.

    I should probably tighten that up.
  • melodymedlin
    melodymedlin Posts: 254 Member
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    Personally I stick with low carb cycling. Its worked wonders on my blood sugar. My A1c went down to 5.6.
    I eat less than 30g on most days and then two days a week eat up to 60g-70g of carbs. I've steadly continued to loose weight and inches. :)

    My day
    breakfast 10
    snack 0
    lunch 5
    snack 3
    dinner 7
    snack 0 *unless I need it for gluclose reasons.

    I'm interested in what others do also. Also most of my carbs come from fruits and veggies only.
  • cwrig
    cwrig Posts: 190 Member
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    I try to do less than 120 carbs a day. When I eat them varies a lot depending on the day.

    Cool thing is I dont count calories at all.. I've found that limiting carbs to 120 a day makes it hard to over eat. Seems like I have to eat a lot to get to 1800 calories a day. As a result I have lost 42 lbs since Jan, and my last A1C was 5.0 :)
  • scubasuenc
    scubasuenc Posts: 626 Member
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    My macros goals are 40% protein, 30% fat, and 30% carbs. That gives me a carb target of 127g per day and I try to stay below that.

    On a typical day I eat:
    Breakfast - 30-35g
    Lunch - 20g
    Afternoon Snack - 10-20g
    Dinner - 40-45g
    Evening snack - 10-20g

    Although I don't always succeed I try to keep it below 50g for any meal.

    My A1C is down to 5.6 and I'm down to 500mg per day of metformin. My body seems to be tolerating this sort of carb load well. My fasting numbers are below 90 most mornings.

    Right now my plan is to stick with this sort of carb range even when I reach my goal and hit maintenance. I will up my fat% to make up the extra calories I will need at maintenance.
  • amberj32
    amberj32 Posts: 663 Member
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    I probably eat 180 carbs a day. You can check my food diary. Of course I have a few days I ate a little more carbs than that and my fasting sugar the next morning always reflects that.

    melodymedlin - I don't know how you do it with only 30 carbs a day!
  • monica10171
    monica10171 Posts: 12 Member
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    breakfast 10
    lunch 15
    dinner 15

    I do between 20-40 carbs a day, Eat between 1200-1400 calories. My numbers never go over 120 and run mostly in the 90's all day. I do take metformin 500mg at night. My a1c is in the low 5's.
  • melodymedlin
    melodymedlin Posts: 254 Member
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    I probably eat 180 carbs a day. You can check my food diary. Of course I have a few days I ate a little more carbs than that and my fasting sugar the next morning always reflects that.

    melodymedlin - I don't know how you do it with only 30 carbs a day!





    It was really hard the first week and a half and now its tons easier. The sweets that I found I ate a lot of are too sweet. I don't crave pasta or bread like I did. I still indulge in these things once a week and I love it! :) Also still getting around 1,500-1,600calories a day.
  • gobraves47
    gobraves47 Posts: 213 Member
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    I eat about 1500-1700 calories a day with about 150 g max carbs. I try not to have more than 30-35ish at one time, but I snack quite a bit too. My last a1c was 5.4 and I just got taken off Metformin today.

    My philosophy was to reduce my carbs a little and as long as it works, then to stick with it. It gives me some wiggle room in the future if I need to cut back more and (for me) is much more realistic and maintainable than going ultra low carb.
  • DenDweller
    DenDweller Posts: 1,438 Member
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    How do people do the ultra low carb thing? I can't figure out how those numbers are achievable. A tomato would kill your budget for the day.

    Are we counting the same way?
  • bdubya55
    bdubya55 Posts: 506 Member
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    Been eating at (around 1,900 cal./day) maintenance since Dec 2013. Daily carbs around 170-180g.

    I treat my mealtime carbs, using a fast acting (bolus) insulin in addition to using Lantus, a background insulin at bedtime too.
  • amberj32
    amberj32 Posts: 663 Member
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    I eat about 1500-1700 calories a day with about 150 g max carbs. I try not to have more than 30-35ish at one time, but I snack quite a bit too. My last a1c was 5.4 and I just got taken off Metformin today.

    My philosophy was to reduce my carbs a little and as long as it works, then to stick with it. It gives me some wiggle room in the future if I need to cut back more and (for me) is much more realistic and maintainable than going ultra low carb.

    Congrats on getting taken off Metformin! Great A1C! I hope to get off it. I take it three times a day, 500mg.
  • amberj32
    amberj32 Posts: 663 Member
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    How do people do the ultra low carb thing? I can't figure out how those numbers are achievable. A tomato would kill your budget for the day.

    Are we counting the same way?

    That's what I'm wondering. I need to see some food diaries.
  • cwrig
    cwrig Posts: 190 Member
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    melodymedlin - I don't know how you do it with only 30 carbs a day!

    I am doing well at 120 carbs a day. Eating 30 or less would be really tough; though I know people do it. If you eat that few carbs you have to eat a lot of fat to get enough energy.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    How do people do the ultra low carb thing? I can't figure out how those numbers are achievable. A tomato would kill your budget for the day.

    Are we counting the same way?

    I was wondering that too. My dietician told me I should not be counting net carbs, only total carbs.
  • amberj32
    amberj32 Posts: 663 Member
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    How do people do the ultra low carb thing? I can't figure out how those numbers are achievable. A tomato would kill your budget for the day.

    Are we counting the same way?

    I was wondering that too. My dietician told me I should not be counting net carbs, only total carbs.

    I count total carbs.
  • GlucernaBrand
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    This is a really interesting discussion and it's good to hear how each person is figuring out the amount of carbohydrate as well as your overall eating plan that works best for you. It might be easier in the short-term if there was just one way of eating that worked for everyone, but in the long run this allows each person to put together an eating plan that meets your needs for energy, diabetes management, taste, and social events. Thanks for sharing what works for you. ~Lynn /Glucerna
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
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    How do people do the ultra low carb thing? I can't figure out how those numbers are achievable. A tomato would kill your budget for the day.

    Are we counting the same way?

    691531351954988206.gif

    Well, one plum tomato has 2.43 g of carb. I can eat 2 of those sliced with mozz or fried queso blanco for a nice light snack or breakfast.

    I eat lots of fat, veggies & a fair amount of protein.

    I aim for < 20 g carb per day. It's not that hard to meet my macros when I eat avocado, coconut oil, butter, fatty cuts of meat & fresh leafy veggies.

    No sugar, no starch is what I try to do in a nutshell.

    If I could eat more carbs and still stay within my BG limits, I would, but I can't. I aim for <100 mg/dl for FBG and < 120mg/dl 1 hour PP (at the least, but will settle for up to 120mg/dl at the 2 hr mark if I've chosen to indulge a little).
  • DenDweller
    DenDweller Posts: 1,438 Member
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    @hookilau: I had to consult with bloodsugar101.com and Google to be sure what you were saying. I learned some new terminology. :wink:

    Your carb goals are definitely different than what I was told mine should be. But as you indicated, they seem to be working quite well for you. Coolness.

    I imagine it was difficult to find stuff to eat. I thought I was jumping though hoops to get into the 170 g range. Hence, my difficulty understanding.
  • Alsvic
    Alsvic Posts: 93 Member
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    This is an interesting discussion, I went back and looked at my food diary as I really have not been tracking to a specific number. I have simply cut refined carbs out of my diet

    I gave up bread, white rice, and potatoes for the most part and my numbers have been consistently below 125 1 hour P/P. My last A1c was a 5.3.

    I get the majority of my carbs from vegetables and fruits.

    I have been averaging around 140-180 grams per day.

    I think I will try to go to 100 grams a day and see what that does for me. I have hit a plateau at 295 pounds and need to figure out a way to jump start my weight loss again.
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
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    @hookilau: I had to consult with bloodsugar101.com and Google to be sure what you were saying. I learned some new terminology. :wink:

    Your carb goals are definitely different than what I was told mine should be. But as you indicated, they seem to be working quite well for you. Coolness.

    I imagine it was difficult to find stuff to eat. I thought I was jumping though hoops to get into the 170 g range. Hence, my difficulty understanding.

    It was indeed difficult at times, and at others, far less so :laugh: Diagnosed at 45, I've got a lot of years (hopefully) to get this right. Eating to my meter has led me to a Ketogenic Diet, Modified Atkins, Modified South Beach sort of thing.

    I don't log foods anymore, though when I first started last April I did so diligently. These days, my diet consists of salads, cheeses, deli meats etc. Eggs, butter, cream and nuts as well. Veggies include all but starchy ones & favor Avocado, tomato, peppers, cauliflower, broc, cabbage etc.

    Fats include coconut oil, ghee and bacon fat to a lesser degree (cause too much gives me bubble-guts :blushing: )

    I'm not real big on the grass-fed meat argument, however, through meet-ups, I was able to secure 1/4 share of a pasture raised pig. Not sure what that will be like, but looking forward to checking it out :wink:

    My endocrinologist does not support my diet, however he is impressed with my numbers. It seems we have an unspoken agreement, I keep getting good numbers, he won't tell me what to do :laugh: To be fair, I hear his advice, I just don't take it. He respects that I guess.

    I appreciate your comment, good luck & BloodSugar101 is a fantastic resource. I go back to it all the time to refresh my understanding or update myself as I go. It's a lot to study for sure :drinker: